Sir Patrick Stewart, 80, still in therapy over domestic violence witnesses in childhood

Sir Patrick Stewart has said he is still receiving therapy for the childhood trauma of witnessing his father being abusive towards his mother.

The 80-year-old star of Star Trek and X-Men said he has suppressed anger all his life due to the fear that he might share the same violent streak as his father.

Sir Patrick told The Telegraph: “I am 80 years old, and I am still in therapy. I see someone every week here in Los Angeles, who I have seen on and off for nearly 20 years.

“I'm still searching myself, still asking questions of myself, and that is certainly the case when I try to recall what it felt like to be in the middle of violence, and there being nothing I can do.”

The veteran actor said when he had rows with his first wife Sheila Falconer he was always worried about losing his temper.

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He said: “I remember my son, who ended up being much taller than me, going nose to nose with me, arguing about something. I had to suppress all of that [anger]. So yes, it was there, it's still there.”

The actor has two children with first wife Falconer, son Daniel, 53, and daughter Sophie.

And Sir Patrick revealed when he received corporal punishment at school as a teenager he believed he might kill his headmaster if he fought back.

He admitted: “I was beaten with a cane by my headmaster when I was 14, [when] I was innocent of what he was accusing me of.

“It was one of the hardest moments ever, because I wanted to attack him. I would have killed him. If I’d actually got my hands on him, I don’t think he’d have made it out.”

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The Blunt Talk star previously opened up in 2018 about the domestic abuse his mother suffered at the hands of his father.

Speaking to Loose Women he said: “He never abused his children. It was all directed at my poor mum. If we could have done, yes [we would have taken the blows]. Standing between them would stop it, he [his father] would stand back.”

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